Unrelated items for discussing on a slow ng Monday (Long)

You're supposed to seat the spur before you put it into the lathe.

Alternately, I've learned to hold the wood still while cranking in the tailstock, so that the spur scrapes a flat for the spurs to hold to. Then you let go and crank it in a little more. I haven't driven a point in since learning that.

Probably doesn't help it, but I do it occasionally.

Probably as safe as some of the other insecticide/fungicide-laden woods. Like red cedar.

Well, sometimes I'll put salt on watermelon, but only when I feel like it.

Big parties or oversize coldcuts?

Endless discussions of same, perhaps.

The price.

Probably as important as micro differences on the surface of the wood, or changes in curvature.

Is it useless? Could be art. Otherwise, I can get it cheaper in China.

Come to think, I can get paintings cheaper in China, too.

Then you haven't turned on a Jet 1236 with its exclusive CTO (creeping tailstock option) . The tailstock screw easily overpowers the poorly designed clamping mechanism so there's not a whole lot of force left to press the wood into the spur.

Been there, done that....now use a 2lb mallet.

Peter Teubel Milford, MA

Hello Arch,

I am quite sure that I do not have the definitive answers for any of your questions... but , I do know that I am a big fan of yours for continuing to post your questions and comments here.

You my friend are a breath of fresh air!! We have lost a great many talented woodturners and posters over the last couple of years. I am certain that it can be contributed to many factors. Trolls, and what not. I wish all the people that posted here in the past would come back. But, it is probably not going to happen.

I am pretty certain that many of them still read this newsgroup, but just don't take the time to post.

So, my wish for the future is to bring back the turners that made this newsgroup so great!!

By the way, I think there are many here that have much to offer, and do. But the silent majority is huge.

And for you Arch, If you keep posting.... I'll keep reading

Thanks, Dave

Hmmmm!!!! I wonder if the company that make the Jet lathe is the same company that makes the Delta Midi Lathe as I have the same problem with my tailstock lol.

But >

tailstock option) . The tailstock screw easily

lot of force left to press the wood into the spur.

I have no idea what the Jet 1236 clamping mechanism looks like, but it is a somewhat common problem and there are a couple things that often solve it. The major fix is to to make an oversize locking plate to fit under the ways. More square inches in that area equals more friction, less slippage. The other common problem is if the rod to the locking plate has any play in it side to side along the axis of the ways. Usually a person can come up with some way to brace it, like a piece of wood wedged into the tailstock with a hole drilled barely large enough for the rod to pass through. I learned about these tricks from an old David Ellsworth video (old video, not old David) many years ago and have used them on various lathes. One or both always solved the problem.

-mike paulson, fort collins, co

Hi Arch,

I haven't been able to check in with the newsgroup except on rare occasions for quite a while. Glad to see you are still stirring the pot . I should be in the shop cranking out turnings right now, but being the sucker I am for a good debate, I'll weigh in on a couple of these.

Aside from the question of whether it might be useful, the bigger practical issue for most people is do they have a place to store or display something that size? And what's the average person going to do with a 30 inch bowl, use it as a turned laundry basket?

Only other turners and high end galleries/collectors care about the finish on the bottoms of pieces. For ordinary craft galleries and shows I don't waste any time on it, and it hasn't hurt sales the least little bit. Sure, everyone turns them over and looks at the bottom, but it's just idle curiousity, they don't really care, and it has no bearing on sales.

As for things made for myself, it depends.... If it is something to go on the shelf, I make it as perfect as possible, finely sanded and finished (including the bottom). If it is a utility piece, I usually do only minimal sanding and little or no finish. That's fine with me, and often I actually prefer it.

I know some people would say that if you can't tell the difference, then it doesn't matter. But I have seen too many turners doing less well than they should because their tool isn't ground ideally for the purpose they are using it for. So I would say yes, it does make a difference, whether or not a person has developed the discrimination to appreciate it.

While turned objects are now commonly recognized as an acceptable medium for artistic expression, I believe average - you did specify average - turners are at somewhat of a disadvantage. I have spent some time working in galleries and I have seen a lot of mediocre paintings sold mainly because they were hand painted original art, not because they were all that good. I have seen even more pottery sold because the surface decoration was appealing even though the shape was downright awful. The turning equivalent of that is the piece that sells because the wood is beautiful even though the shape is far from perfect. Still, it seems that a refined shape is more critical for a turned piece, and the type of surface decoration we do, mainly carving, is held to a higher standard. It's fairly easy to slapdash some glaze on a pot and have it come out looking appealing, but it takes a lot of skill to do carving on a piece that doesn't look crude.

-mike paulson, fort collins, co

No, but then again, such force should not be needed. The spinning spurs easily scrape a flat, and the spurs should be sharp enough to grab with little pressure.

If you need the spurs SUNK into the wood, take the drive spur out and whack it into the wood with a mallet, then remount it.

The locking lever on the tailstock of my Jet mini is a little hard to lock down, too. I keep a plastic mallet handy and give the lever a couple of taps with it for extra security.

Barry

Thanks for that comment. Some of us were just too stubborn to leave............................Barry

That reminds me of another fix. I have reground the cam action on a couple locking levers in the past to increase the leverage. I did it freehand at the grinder, easy to do, worked well.

-mike paulson, fort collins, co

"Excepting in museums and maybe for picnics or the nouveau riche, can a

In many cases Arch, I have gone into homes where the scale of the rooms and things in the rooms does indeed provide a good backdrop for a large bowl or sculptural piece. One of may largest pieces is in a house where it is dwarfed by everything in the room - so I set about making an even larger piece for this peron - 31" in diameter at the largest point - maybe this one will "fit" the space and scale of the place!

Ray